>>>>Have you seen this article: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/ipad/ipad32dd03cd/ipados ?
>>>
>>>Yes, I saw this article. It requires iTunes to be installed on the PC. Which I will do.
>>
>>As I understand it iOS devices are nominally secure. If so you can't expect to connect one to a PC and have the PC be able to read its contents without some sort of authentication.
>>
>>Even if you're somehow able to authenticate, I suspect the iPad uses a file system which a PC doesn't natively understand so it wouldn't be able to mount the iPad storage so you could work with its files.
>>
>>It sounds like iTunes on a PC gets you past those hurdles. It's probably quicker to install iTunes on the PC, transfer the files, then uninstall it afterwards than researching other methods.
>
>After I install iTunes I won't uninstall it because, if I remember correctly, I will be able to make backup of my iOS devices (iPhone and iPad) using this iTunes. Might as well keep it.

Can you not backup those devices directly to iCloud?

In general I don't like to keep programs like that installed unless I'm going to be using them often. In the case of iTunes I'd check:

- if iTunes-related services are always running on your computer whether you're using actively using it or not (i.e. wasting resources)

- iTunes used to install the Bonjour networking protocol by default, in order to talk peer-to-peer to other Apple devices over the network (rather than direct-attached via USB). Maybe that's useful for you but if not that causes unnecessary network and PC processing overhead. Bonjour is also not designed for security: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT205195

- does it keep nagging you for updates?

- does it phone home to Apple even when you're not actively using it?

With the above in mind I've worked in environments where its use was prohibited.